Uzbekistan, known for its rich history, centuries-old cultural heritage, architectural monuments, and unique natural landscapes, attracts tourists from all over the world.
The effective use of the country’s tourism potential contributes not only to strengthening its position on the global stage, but also to bolstering the national economy.
According to statistics, from January to September 2025, almost 8.6 million foreign citizens visited Uzbekistan for tourism purposes. This number grows every year, indicating increasing interest in the country.
One of the key tasks is the accelerated development of the tourism sector, including creating comfortable conditions for tourists, improving the quality and expanding the range of services, and opening new tourist routes. To this end, several regulatory documents have already been adopted, based on which concrete measures are being implemented and the necessary infrastructure is being developed.
The Presidential Resolution “On measures to organize the activities of the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the accelerated development of the tourism sector” of 20 November 2025 aims to increase the effectiveness of work in this field.
The document outlines the main objectives and measures for tourism development until 2030. Among them are increasing the share of tourism in the gross domestic product from the current 3.5 percent to 7 percent and raising annual exports of tourism services to more than $6 billion, which will strengthen the sector’s role in the national economy and increase state budget revenues.
In addition, the plan provides for increasing the annual number of foreign tourists from the current 10 million to 20 million, including boosting the inflow of high-spending visitors. To achieve this, the document envisions improving transport links between Uzbekistan’s tourist cities, increasing the number of domestic flights, reducing travel time by at least threefold, and doubling the number of 4- and 5-star hotels.
Most tourists come to Uzbekistan to visit its ancient historical cities and world-famous monuments. Therefore, it is essential to create convenient infrastructure and comfortable conditions in these locations.
In this regard, for 2026-2028, the implementation of the “Samarkand Heritage Route” project is planned. It envisions a 6.6-kilometer tourist route connecting the most important historical sites in Samarkand. It is also intended to transform the Ichan-Kala complex in Khiva into the world’s only immersive and smart city-museum, harmonizing the daily life of residents, the operation of retail outlets and service points, and communication systems with the historical environment. Materials will be submitted for the inclusion of Tashkent’s modernist monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The document also provides for incentives and preferences to support tourism development. Beginning 1 March 2026, the Tourism Support Fund will allocate subsidies covering 50 percent of expenses, up to 1 billion UZS, for the development and implementation of the ten best tourism startup projects each year, including new types of tourism services. Buses, electric buses, and minibuses imported by tourism entities will be exempt from customs duties. As an exception, tour operators registered in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and holding a license will be permitted to pay customs duties and recycling fees at 25 percent of the standard rate, in installments over three years, when importing high-clearance vehicles with an engine capacity of at least 2.4 liters for organizing extreme tours. Additional incentives are also provided to support tourism development and enhance the sector’s efficiency.
The Presidential Resolution creates conditions for the effective use of the country’s tourism potential, the improvement of service quality, the competitiveness of national tourism products on the global market, and the increase of tourist flows to Uzbekistan.
Mukhtarama Komilova, UzA